Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lake Superior State University 2009 List of Banished Words

I especially concur with two choices: 'winner of five nominations' and 'icon/iconic.' A nomination is not a win. Yes, one is being singled out, along with others in a certain category, but one is not a winner.As the late George Carlin pointed out in his last stand-up, 'folks, not everyone is a winner.' Exactly. We cannot all be winners now, can we? A few win, others lose and a great many reside in-between.

And, what about the high-frequency use of icon/iconic? There cannot be so many icons out there, can there? Perhaps, a list of other synonyms could be introduced here?

Funny list. Green is the one that struck a chord with me. There is so much greenwashing going around out there that I can't help but roll my eyes every time I hear the word. Car and oil company commercials are the worst. I'm sorry, but you guys are not green.

I can't believe they left out the becoming-ubiquitous "take-away" e.g.: "Disregard all the BS I've just been blathering on about, because here is the take-away."

It's also interesting because it is loaded with the knowledge that humans don't retain the vast majority of what they perceive. But its tie to marketers, PR people, and other persuaders make it a must-kill word.